Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 95.djvu/1367

 PUBLIC LAW 97-98—DEC. 22, 1981

95 STAT. 1341

tions in the development and implementation of area plans shall be supplemental to, and not in lieu of, any authority of the Secretary under any other provision of law. AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 1538. There are authorized to be appropriated for each of the i^ use 3461. five fiscal years beginning October 1, 1982, and ending September 30, 1987, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this subtitle, except that not more than $15,000,000 may be appropriated for loans for any fiscal year. Funds appropriated pursuant to this subtitle shall remain available until expended. Subtitle I—Farmland Protection Policy Act SHORT TITLE

Farmland Protection Policy Act.

SEC. 1539. This subtitle may be cited as the "Farmland Protection ^ use 4201 note. Policy Act". FINDINGS, PURPOSE, AND DEFINITIONS

SEC. 1540. (a) Congress finds that— 7 USC 4201. (1) the Nation's farmland is a unique natural resource and provides food and fiber necessary for the continued welfare of the people of the United States; (2) each year, a large amount of the Nation's farmland is irrevocably converted from actual or potential agricultural use to nonagricultural use; (3) continued decrease in the Nation's farmland base may threaten the ability of the United States to produce food and fiber in sufficient quantities to meet domestic needs and the demands of our export markets; (4) the extensive use of farmland for nonagricultural purposes undermines the economic base of many rural areas; (5) Federal actions, in many cases, result in the conversion of farmland to nonagriculturm uses where alternative actions would be preferred; (6) the Department of Agriculture is the agency primarily responsible for the implementation of Federal policy with respect to United States farmland, assuring the maintenance of the agricultural production capacity of the United States, and has the personnel and other resources needed to implement national farmland protection policy; and (7) the Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies should take steps to assure that the actions of the Federal Government do not cause United States farmland to be irreversibly converted to nonagricultural uses in cases in which other national interests do not override the importance of the protection of farmland nor otherwise outweigh the benefits of maintaining farmland resources. (b) The purpose of this subtitle is to minimize the extent to which Federal programs contribute to the unnecessary and irreversible conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses, and to assure that Federal programs are administered in a manner that, to the extent practicable, will be compatible with State, unit of locsJ government, and private programs and policies to protect farmland. (c) As used in this subtitle— (1) the term "farmland" includes all land defined as follows:

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